Infatuated with the MegaHouse's upcoming Utena figure? She's got a companion on the way - none other than her lady, Anthy. Anthy was up on display at MegaHobby Expo Spring, and though she isn't painted yet she did show off her killer curves.
Utena was also on display:
Utena is due out in October.
Via Hobby Search
The official site for SoniAni: Super Sonico The Animation, 12-episode TV anime featuring Nitroplus' mascot girl Super Sonico, has revealed the details of the upcoming 4th Blu-ray/DVD which is scheduled to be released in Japan on June 18. Some fans may remember that the limited edition of the 1st volume released in March was bundled with Sonico's figma figure in swimsuit.
But this time, the limited edition of the 4th volume comes with a wearable bikini swimsuit named "SoniAni Model," which is based on the one Sonico wears in the show. The price for the limited edition which contains the 7th and 8th episode is 9,720 yen (about US$95). How do you want to use the bikini?
The jacket illustration of the 4th volume
The "SoniAni Model" swimsuit
The swimsuit images from the anime
via: Akiba Souken
© Nitroplus/SoniAni Project
Japanese singer Ray, who is best known for her Nagi no Asukara theme songs, will release her highly anticipated 2nd album "Milky Ray" in Japan on June 4. The limited edition of the album comes with a DVD containing her latest live "RAYVE 01 ~Ray's magic castle~" at Shibuya WWW on June 22, 2013. The digest videos of the live and her dance collection footage are now online. You can also check all songs of the album on her official site now.
The 13-song album contains her 4th single "lull ~Soshite Bokura wa~" (Nagi no Asukara 1st OP), 5th single "ebb and flow" (2nd OP), and "lull ~Earth color of a calm~," which is a newly-recorded/arranged (including her vocal) version of the 4th single and used as the insert song of the final episode of the anime, alongside Nagi Yanagi's "mnemonic" (from her 6th single "Aqua Terrarium").
Live digest
Dance collection digest
Limited edition jacket
Regular edition jacket
4th single "lull ~Soshite Bokura wa~" short PV
5th Single "ebb and flow"
via: Natalie
(C) 2011 Universal Studios
The June hype trains kicked with promo posters for the The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls anime set up today at JR Shinjuku Station. This adaptation of the franchise's mobile social game is planned for January 2015.
A-1 Pictures again animates the new TV anime. Noriko Takao, who previously directed the 2013 anime film Saint Young Men and worked for The Idolm@ster TV anime series as the series episode director, serves as the director, and works on series composition with Tatsuya Takahashi (episode writer for The Idolm@ster, Tokyo Ravens). Yusuke Matsuo (Black Rock Shooter, Encouragement of Climb) designs the anime version characters.
The social game featuring more than 100 idols including the original 13 from 765 Pro started its service on the Mobage browser game platform in November 2011 and has had more than 4 million registered users.
JR新宿駅地下の北通路(改札内)にて、アニメ「アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ」の広告が掲出中です(明日6/1日曜まで)。 pic.twitter.com/FgCVTMzKoU
— アイマスDB (情報まとめ) (@imas_DB) May 31, 2014
来たぁぁぁぁぁ！！！！ pic.twitter.com/rNhY6sw9DM
— れっど (@redy_mobacg) May 30, 2014
ちゃま確認出来る pic.twitter.com/lWWDUwDh4F
— れっど (@redy_mobacg) May 31, 2014
みくにゃんかわいいぞ！！！ pic.twitter.com/E6xTMY4tI7
— れっど (@redy_mobacg) May 31, 2014
もう十分プロデュースしてますっ！！！ pic.twitter.com/d6P51oCg3w
— れっど (@redy_mobacg) May 31, 2014
新宿モバマス広告全体ですっ！ pic.twitter.com/tzlI3dmnJ1
— れっど (@redy_mobacg) May 31, 2014
これは感動する pic.twitter.com/o3E6fotO9V
— れっど (@redy_mobacg) May 31, 2014
この並び大好き pic.twitter.com/CmEORyDvhl
— れっど (@redy_mobacg) May 31, 2014
— れっど (@redy_mobacg) May 31, 2014
— れっど (@redy_mobacg) May 31, 2014
新宿駅にあるTVアニメ「アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ」の広告 pic.twitter.com/U320aSPYaj
— 格 (@itaru_414) May 31, 2014
TVアニメ「アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ」属性別キービジュアル"CUTE"がこちらになります pic.twitter.com/xEEuTbwdD6
— 格 (@itaru_414) May 31, 2014
TVアニメ「アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ」属性別キービジュアル"Cool"の解禁は6月下旬のようです pic.twitter.com/sJdrUAy5FZ
— 格 (@itaru_414) May 31, 2014
TVアニメ「アイドルマスター シンデレラガールズ」属性別キービジュアル"Passion"の解禁は7月下旬のようです pic.twitter.com/336Zk8nToH
— 格 (@itaru_414) May 31, 2014
ノパイタッチ pic.twitter.com/5mb04yy0Vp
— BasuP@ミリオン初日 (@BasuP) May 31, 2014
The earlier first key visual drawn by the anime character designer Yusuke Matsuo
The first PV
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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.
If you have a Twitter account, you may be aware that the layout of the web version has changed recently. The cover photo that faces the user now covers the top part of the user's page when displayed in browser and it seems that the official Servant x Service account just noticed the changes. See what the photo they originally chose before the changes did to their current page appearance below.
The cover photo the official account uses is the sexy sleeping pinup poster featuring Lucy(...) and with the new format, the profile page has an extra impact that it never had before. The staff member who tweeted about this interesting development is none other than the author, Karino Takatsu herself.
She added an illustration of Hasebe saying, "what have we done" in Japanese with lots of sweat on his face. After Karino sensei's tweet, the usual Twitter staff posted "What a miracle! Of course we won't change it!". The poster of sexy Lucy(...) was a bonus included with the Big Gangan September 2013 issue just in case you were wondering. You're welcome.
Source: Twitter
If you have a Twitter account, you may be aware that the layout of the web version has changed recently. The cover photo that faces the user now covers the top part of the user’s page when displayed in browser and it seems that the official Servant x Service account just noticed the changes. See what the photo they originally chose before the changes did to their current page appearance below.
The cover photo the official account uses is the sexy sleeping pinup poster featuring Lucy(…) and with the new format, the profile page has an extra impact that it never had before. The staff member who tweeted about this interesting development is none other than the author, Karino Takatsu herself.
She added an illustration of Hasebe saying, “what have we done” in Japanese with lots of sweat on his face. After Karino sensei’s tweet, the usual Twitter staff posted “What a miracle! Of course we won’t change it!”. The poster of sexy Lucy(…) was a bonus included with the Big Gangan September 2013 issue just in case you were wondering. You’re welcome.
Source: Twitter
Read more here: Crunchy Roll
Wolfenstein 3D is credited by many as being one of the pioneers of the first person shooter genre. It was a game that revolutionised the genre by encouraging exploration and resource management while letting you blast through anything like a machine. Oh, how things have changed. A genre that was once enjoyed by many as simple fun has degenerated into a medium filled with quick time events, slow walking, and various mentions of Oscar Mike punctured throughout a mundane and laborious single player campaign.
Very rarely do gamers stumble across a compelling single player shooter experience that places fun above everything else. It’s because of this that Wolfenstein: The New Order is a refreshing change of pace. A fun single player experience that doesn’t rely on multiplayer to add value, Wolfenstein: The New Order is one of the most enjoyable single player shooters to release in years. Aside from a few glaring issues, it is a game that all shooter aficionados should play.
Wolfenstein: The New Order will likely intrigue anyone interested in World War II. Even though the story marks a huge departure from the events of the real war (unless I missed the history class on robot Nazi dogs), the world is filled with newspaper clippings that provide additional details for those with morbid curiosities. These little collectables are actually meaningful as they provide more insight into the overall narrative. The setting proposes a very interesting alternate reality that is well explored for the most part.
It’s disappointing, then, that the overall narrative presented here is very inconsistent. When actually playing Wolfenstein, one gets the impression that the game isn’t taking itself seriously, what with all the Nazi robots and cheesy dialogue. Yet in the very next cut scene, everything will begin moving slowly and the situation will become unnecessarily melodramatic as if the game were trying to convey a meaningful message; the main character will begin talking philosophically while he bashes a poor soldier’s skull in with the butt of his rifle. Every single serious or emotional moment falls flat on its face as the plot is not in any way engaging or unique and the game can’t be taken too seriously. Even though you’re fighting Nazis, which motivates you as a player to succeed, it’s hard to feel sympathy for a character who is basically a walking death machine that slaughters countless people and it’s insincere for the story to attempt to illicit such a response.
The upside is that because Wolfenstein: The New Order is such a focused single player experience, every single mission, every firefight, and every moment of downtime is highly enjoyable. This is due to absolutely excellent pacing. Wolfenstein will never pause too long on an epic moment. One instant you’ll be jumping into a giant Nazi mech for a short time to tear through waves of Nazis, the next you’ll be exploring a safe, combat free environment and interacting with characters. After that you may try your hand at controlling an underwater craft before undertaking a stealthier mission, or not. The choice is yours. Nearly every combat scenario gives you the option to take the smart route or the crazy route. Both playstyles are well supported by tactically placed inventory items, different modes of fire for weapons and more, meaning either method of play will result in an equally rewarding experience depending on the player.
It’s fortunate that the game is so well paced because you won’t be playing for very long. I completed Wolfenstein: The New Order in under 8 hours, which seems like a long time compared to other shooters on the market, but as the game has no multiplayer component the length of the campaign may understandably concern some people. The campaign itself is highly enjoyable, but the overall value prospect of The New Order is lacking. A second playthrough is somewhat encouraged by a choice made towards the start of the game, but the actual impact this has on the gameplay and story is fairly limited – you’ll still embark on the same overarching quest.
As a game releasing on the new generation of consoles, graphical fidelity and performance will always be important in the eyes of many. Unfortunately, Wolfenstein: The New Order is actually slightly dated on the visual front. Some of this is attributed to the art style, which consists almost entirely of grey, but even ignoring this artistic choice, Wolfenstein looks like a last generation port. Texture quality ranges from passable to dreadful, models are jagged, the explosions look horrendous, and the overall fidelity of the title is weak. At certain stages the game really shines and can even look great, especially when it comes to facial expressions, but these moments are overshadowed by the frequency of underwhelming visual crescendos that pepper the campaign.
This could be forgiven if the title ran smoothly, but it does not. At least not on PC. I played through Wolfenstein: The New Order on an Intel Core i7 3770 and an AMD R9 290. Most sections run at about 60 FPS, but the framerate will tank for no discernible reason in the most baffling areas. At one stage, the framerate dropped to 30 while I was inside a small, poorly textured room. It’s been reported that Nvidia cards are performing well while AMD cards are struggling to handle the game nearly as efficiently. Some players on lower end AMD cards have actually been unable to play the title due to game breaking performance issues.
Ultimately, the core strength of Wolfenstein: The New Order is its solid, simple and fun gameplay. Wolfenstein feels like a mix of old school mechanics and new shooter design, allowing players the freedom to tear through enemies like butter without explanation or logic. Most levels are open battlefields with multiple options for players. Scattered around these environments are a multitude of different pick-ups, which range from health packs and armor, to ammo and even turret-based weapons that are a blast to use, just like the rest of the arsenal.
Virtually every weapon, from pistols to sniper rifles, can be dual wielded, which makes fighting Nazi’s insanely fun. While there isn’t really any ability to upgrade weapons through a non-linear mod tree, a great number of weapons have multiple modes: pistols can be silenced for those who prefer the subtle approach; sniper rifles can be swapped from semi-automatic to laser mode; and one weapon can even be used to cut through terrain, though its implementation is fairly linear. The guns also feel and sound suitably weighty and powerful. Giant mechs sound like they’re actually giant mechs, and some of the music in the battles really stands out.
Read more here: gamrReview
Fanart Friday returns, all ready to test your mettle (remember, folks--only bad people hate puns). Last week, I somehow avoided making a single "sploosh" joke with a WATER-themed installment, but this week we wrap up our month-long look at the elements with a fifth element--no, not Love, not Heart, not Aether, but METAL!
More of an elemental mainstay in Asian cultures (specifically Chinese), Metal is pretty distinct from Earth--characters who wield the elemental force of metal (or magnetism, since we're being flexible and allowed plant control during the Earth theme) are often the "unstoppable force" compared to Earth's "immovable object." Of course, just like there are many different types of metal, there are many ways to interpret how "metal" a character is. Let's get started!
DISCLAIMER: None of the art presented is the property of myself or Crunchyroll. All characters and series are tm and © their respective creators and corporate owners. All art is the creative property of their respective artists. Any artists who wish to have their work removed from this article may contact me, and appropriate action will be immediately taken.
by Tobi
Now, I haven't watched Umineko no Naku Koro ni, but I've heard that Beatrice has control over gold... and can, uh... speak in gold? How does that work?
by hakutheawesome READER SUBMISSION!
Over this past month, we've talked about real-world(ish) representatives of elements, from Bruce Lee to swimmers to gymnasts, and I think it's fair to say that swordsmen--like One Piece's Roronoa Zoro--fit the bill. If the Straw Hats were assigned elements, I'd say that Zoro and Franky are Metal, Luffy is Wind, Nami is Water, Usopp is Earth, Sanji is Fire, and... I dunno, Chopper and Robin are Heart. So where does that leave Brook?
by せらゆかり
Despite sarcasm from some of you readers, I don't actually enjoy looking through ecchi fanart, because ecchi titles just aren't my thing (but boobies are wonderful, I ain't gonna lie). I was kind of dreading looking up Seikon no Qwaser's Alexander, but hey, it turns out that he's the rare harem series protagonist who doesn't belong in Plain as Folk Edition!
And this week's award for "request I didn't expect to find at all" goes to Warriors of Virtue's Yee! This was a pretty kickass '90s kids action movie with wushu kangaroos, and some of the warriors represented different elements. Glad to see some love for this underrated gem!
by ｂｒと＠aojきｆｖほｙ
You'll see a lot of dragons, monsters, and in this case digital monsters that represent metal. Digimon has no shortage of badass-looking collectible monsters, and Metalgreymon is one of the series' headliners.
by Brilcrist
Personally, I think the closest you can get to real-life metal elemental is a blacksmith, and How to Train Your Dragon's Hiccup fits the bill. Wait, bullshit, that's not Hiccup! Dude, seriously... puberty. You're doing it right. Gonna make all the ladies swoon. Men too, doesn't matter how straight you think you are.
by さえた
I actually had no idea what Brave 10 was until now--all I knew was that it was yet another loosely-historical action anime, this time based around the Ten Braves of Sanada, ten ninja who protected legendary warrior Sanada Yukimura (where, if we're going by Sengoku BASARA rules, he didn't really need protecting). Juuzo Kakei is the "Metal" of the team, and surprisingly their gunman.
by OroNoDa READER SUBMISSION!
WELCOME TO DIE! Of all the magnetically-powered characters in all of fiction, few are as evocative or well-developed as Erik Magnus Lensherr--Magneto, the Master of Magnetism. He's one of the few "bad guys" who is just so believable and inspiring. Sure, what he's doing is awful, but he genuinely believes that you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs (or heads, as the case may be).
by 野草
There are actually two characters named Musica in Rave Master--spear-wielding Hamrio Musica, and his legendary blacksmith father Galein (he's not the dude in the background)!
by prince-opeo
Toph invented Metalbending (in one of the coolest episodes of the first Avatar series), but Lin perfected it, to the point that every Earthbending cop uses Metalbending under her guidance. C'mon, give the woman some credit--a gifted student should surpass their teacher!
by 菁winni
It's right there in the name! Sort of. The Japanese title for Fullmetal Alchemist is kanji Hagane no Renkinjutsu-shi (鋼の錬金術師), which literally means "Alchemist of Steel." I still find it hilarious that people complain about "Attack on Titan" and think it's a clunky title, and yet they totally accept "Fullmetal Alchemist."
by ultmte READER SUBMISSION!
Still on the subject of steel (no, I did not include a picture of John Henry Irons), Steel-type Pokemon are pretty handy to have around, especially a gigantic badass like Steelix here.
by さいじーえぬん
While we can arbitrarily assign elements to One Piece's Straw Hat members, there is actually a character who can turn his body into metal as his base power--Daz Bones, aka Mr. 1!
by Yufei
Generator Rex is one of those cartoons I just haven't gotten around to checking out, like Ben 10. I know my little cousins love it, but beyond that, I know nothing.
by wafoo
Magnets can be used for more than just pulling metal from one place to another--they can also be used to blast objects away with incredible force, like Misaka does with everyday coins in A Certain Scientific Railgun!
by BoaCC READER SUBMISSION!
I'm really hoping that Fate/Zero's Berserker is listening to Berserker. Also, if you're talking Fate characters, a reader mentioned Archer's Unlimited Blade Works, but BoaCC here beat him to the punch. He sent this one in early!
by 憂桔
...so yeah, I actually forgot that Code:Breaker even existed, but I have this weird love-hate relationship with Samurai Deeper Kyo, so I'm gonna give it another shot. You guys'll have to tell me what the deal is with Toki here!
I'm not that surprised that Black Bullet is really popular--it fills the same niche that Strike the Blood did for me as a cliche, kinda basic action show with pretty cool choreography.
by おうり
So in Hunter x Hunter, Gon is very clearly Earth, Killua counts as Wind, and holy freakin' crap is Kurapika Metal, what with the chains and the brutal backstory and the brutal quest for revenge and the brutal way he delivers justice to his enemies and his brutal glowing red eyes and his brutally goofy haircut.
by 四騎
This is kind of a weird one--the ship-girls of Arpeggio of Blue Steel are the personification of battleships... but they can also manipulate metal via nanomachines. Oh, fair warning: don't ask Victoria about KanColle right now. It makes her... emotional.
by ふらぷら
Rounding out the full Flame of Recca team, Koganei Kaoru and his shifting Kougon Anki weapon represent Metal in the five-man band of heroes. Sadly, no W.I.T.C.H. or Arata the Legend requests for this week!
by 春秋
When Gajeel Redfox first showed up in Fairy Tail, I could not wait for him to get his ass beat. When it finally happened (and it was awesome), I immediately wanted the Iron Dragonslayer (such an awesome title) to join the team. Predictability isn't always a bad thing.
by roki
Dude, seriously: Red-Eyes Metal Dragon? Yu-gi-Oh! monster names can be a real unimaginative (but descriptive) mouthful.
by 有末リオ
But in the end, y'know what's metal? Heavy metal. The kind played by Detroit Metal City's Johannes Krauser II, who rocks harder than just about anyone who's ever rocked before.
Y'know what's funny? We got all the way through this installment without any D-FRAG. I mean, they don't have a Metal element person, do they? Hmm? What's that?
...
by 柿Ⓒue
DAMMIT. Okay, fine, D-FRAG's Shinsen counts because she stays in a robot suit (?) most of the time. THERE, ARE YOU HAPPY NOW
And that's everything for this week! There's no way I could have included everybody--who are your favorite masters of metal? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
I'm glad to see more and more of you sending in your work, which is always welcome here on Fanart Friday, regardless of your skill level or experience. Just PM me a link to your work, and I'll be sure to include it in a future installment! Here are the next three themes for Fanart Friday:
-Next week, on JUNE 6th, we celebrate the release of Ultra Street Fighter IV with a trip through my all-time favorite gaming franchise, STREET FIGHTER! From mainstays like Ryu and Chun-li to forgotten faces like Eagle, Street Fighter will always hold a special place in my heart. THIS IS THE ONLY THEME I'M TAKING REQUESTS FOR THIS WEEK!
-Then, on JUNE 13th, we're gonna Hare Hare Yukai our way through the library of KYOANI, or KYOTO ANIMATION! They've got a pretty small list of titles compared to other studios, but it's an impressive one!
-On JUNE 20th, grab your sunscreen and a towel--we're going to the BEACH! Or POOL if you're unfortunate enough to not live by the ocean! Oh, whatever, it's SUMMER, and we're gonna find some fanart of your favorite characters soaking up the summer heat!
Thanks again for coming by to check out Fanart Friday! Have a great weekend, and I hope you drop by again next week!
Following the July release of the No Game No Life Shiro hug pillow, the series' Werebeast girl Izuna Hatsuse will be getting her own in August. Maybe you can buy the two and former can pet the latter.
What's a bit interesting about the situation is that while Shiro was offered by character goods maker Movic, Izuna is from Cospa. She costs 9,720yen before taxes ahead of an August release.
Like the Shiro hug pillow. Izuna's a bit NSFW...
Cospa is also doing a set of cleaning cloths for 432yen each
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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.
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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.
Plans for an anime adaptation of Tokyo ESP were announced last May and confirmed for summer 2014 back in March, but only the theme song performers had leaked out before today. While the production staff and even studio are still unknown, Shinji Ikari voice actress Megumi Ogata has revealed the cast.
Rinka Urushiba: Ibuki Kido
Kyōtarō Azuma: Keisuke Koumoto
Minami Azumi: Sachika Misawa
Murasaki Edoyama: Azusa Tadokoro
Ayumu Oozora: Megumi Ogata
Kobushi Kuroi "Black Fist: Mai Aizawa
Rindō Urushiba : Tetsu Inada
Peggi: Kaoru Mizuhara
Professor: Yoshihisa Kawahara
【解禁！】7月新番アニメ「東京ESP」で、大空歩役を担当することになりました！ アフロの中学生（笑）ですが、クールなようで熱く、達観しているようで直情的な、振り幅の広い面白い役です。作品もすごく面白いのです。お楽しみに！ http://t.co/IV8y27v8zC #オガタ
— 緒方恵美 @6/7BDLive! (@Megumi_Ogata) May 30, 2014
「東京ESP」キャスト 漆葉リンカ：木戸衣吹 東京太郎：河本啓佑 東美奈実：三澤紗千香 江戸山紫：田所あずさ 大空歩：緒方恵美 黒井小節：相沢舞 漆葉竜胆：稲田徹 ペギィ：水原薫 教授：川原慶久 …あ、あずさが相手役になってくれる日が来ようとは…オッサンガンバルヨ。←ソコ！？w
— 緒方恵美 @6/7BDLive! (@Megumi_Ogata) May 30, 2014
Amazon Japan recentanly listing the opening and ending singles. Faylan sings opening "Tokyo Zero Hearts," while the currently unnamed ending is by Yousei Teikoku. The two were both previously attached to Katanagatari and the Future Diary franchise.
Hajime Segawa developed Toyko ESP while writing Ga-Rei, the supernatural manga that inspired prequel anime Ga-Rei Zero. His first proposal was something like The Matrix with a fart powered hero. When his editor scuttled that, he settled on an action series starring a girl whose phasing abilities manifest after she has a vision of a flying penguin.
Key visual
Manga visual
CM for the manga volume 1
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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.
The special “my first tablet” collaboration between Microsoft Japanese branch and Kagerou Project has gone live. Kagerou Project is vocaloid producer Jin’s (aka Shizen no Teki-P) Kagerou Project (Heat-Haze Project) series of songs telling the story of the Mekakushi Dan. The current Mekakucity Actors anime is named for its first album.
To catch aspiring creators and get them interested in using Microsoft tablets for their next project, here’s the remix of “Shounen Brave” from the last album.
『カゲロウプロジェクトタブレット リツイートキャンペーン』@Windows_Japanと@GTune_chanをフォローし、この投稿をリツイートすると抽選でサイン入りポスタープレゼント！ pic.twitter.com/lEgXqboKBl
— Windows_Japan (@Windows_Japan) May 30, 2014
A special media campaign is giving away cleafiles, stickers, USB sticks, audio remixes and theme Office 2013 document templates.
There’s also a special theme tablet
Price:
59,800 - (tax not included)
Spec information
OS:
Windows 8.1 64BIT
Software:
Microsoft Office Home and Business 2013
Memory:
2GB DDR3L-1333
Storage:
64GB eMMC
VGA:
Intel HD Graphics
LCD:
10.1-inch multi-touch
Keyboard:
Bluetooth Keyboard
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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain’t It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.
Read more here: Crunchy Roll